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2019 WNBA Mock Draft Big Board: Version 1.0

By Howard Megdal

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 12: A'ja Wilson poses with a Las Vegas Aces hat during the 2018 WNBA Draft 2018 on April 12, 2018 at Nike New York Headquarters in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 12: A'ja Wilson poses with a Las Vegas Aces hat during the 2018 WNBA Draft 2018 on April 12, 2018 at Nike New York Headquarters in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melanie Fidler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – APRIL 1: Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a pass to Marina Mabrey #3 during the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – APRIL 1: Jessica Shepard #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish attempts a pass to Marina Mabrey #3 during the championship game of the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /

8. Phoenix Mercury: Jessica Shepard, 6’4 F, Notre Dame

In 2018, the Mercury solved their Sancho Lyttle injury problem by moving DeWanna Bonner to the four. But there’s a larger question, which is: what is the ideal four to play next to Brittney Griner as she continues her Hall of Fame career? Jessica Shepard might be just that ideal four, and the Mercury aren’t going to let her get past them if she makes it this far.

Understand what Shepard is: a dangerous offensive player who has scored at will since her Nebraska days, through double-teams, through triple-teams. A hard-nosed defensive player who managed to slow down Teaira McCowan in the NCAA title game. A shooter who regularly shot beyond the arc until last season, when Muffet McGraw needed her inside to replace Brianna Turner, and both McGraw and Shepard told me last spring that they expect her to return out there. My favorite thing Jessica Shepard does on the court, and there are many, is throw outlet passes. Sandy Brondello loves to run, and Shepard’s going to get her several transition buckets a game with those passes, which, if you’ll forgive the female-to-male crossover, I’ve seen twice before: from Kevin Love when he was at UCLA, and in old clips of Wes Unseld. Personally, I think Shepard stands a good chance of rising in this draft, but this is where the league has her right now.

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